2012 ARC Success for the AWMC

Tuesday, 01 November 2011

The Australian Research Council has announced successful grant outcomes for funding starting in 2012 and once again the AWMC extended team has had a great outcome. Congratulations to all involved. Details of the outcomes are shown below.

Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities Funding

LE120100025: A high-throughput screening and sequencing facility for single cell genomics

Prof P Hugenholtz, Dr T P Stinear, Dr G W Tyson, Dr B P Howden, Prof M J Walker, Prof R M Robins-Browne, Prof M A Schembri, Prof P D Sly, Prof E L Hartland, and Dr J W Moreau
Total Funding: $380,000.00Partner/Collaborating Eligible Organisation(s): The University of MelbourneProject Summary: Genomics has revolutionised biology, but for most microorganisms this revolution has not arrived because very few can be grown in pure culture. The single cell genomics facility will address this major bottleneck by allowing as little as a single cell in a clinical or environmental setting to be sequenced thereby accelerating new discoveries and outcomes.

Linkage Projects

LP120100664: Adsorption on activated alumina: mitigating fouling of water treatment processes caused by deposition of silica, organics and hardness ions

Dr Steven Pratt, Prof Paul A Lant, and Dr Christopher PrattTotal Funding: $166,953.00Partner Organisation(s): Australia Pacific LNG Pty Ltd
Project Summary: Coal seam gas offers tremendous economic potential but development of gas reserves will generate considerable quantities of saline water. This project will develop activated alumina technology for the removal of silica and organics from these waters to enable the industry to use evaporative technologies to reduce water volumes.

LP120100670: Stabilisation of algal biomass harvested from coal seam gas associated water to generate a renewable, high nutrient resource

Dr Steven Pratt, Dr Frances R Slater, Prof Paul A Lant, and A/Prof Peer M SchenkTotal Funding: $118,700.00Partner Organisation(s): Australia Pacific LNG Pty LtdProject Summary: This project will develop composting technology to stabilise the biomass harvested from coal seam gas ponds. A feature of the project is consideration of toxic algal metabolites, and the potential for the release and degradation of these compounds during stabilisation.

Discovery Projects

Prof Zhiguo Yuan, and Dr Florent E AnglyTotal Funding: $540,000.00Project Summary: Methane is a strong greenhouse gas and currently accounts for 20 per cent of the total radioactive forcing in the atmosphere. This project investigates a previously unrecognized microbial process that oxidizes methane before it reaches the atmosphere. The project will deliver knowledge support to sustainable environmental management.

DP120102832: Biofilm control in wastewater systems using free nitrous acid - a renewable material from wastewater

Prof Zhiguo Yuan, Dr Philip L Bond, Dr Liu Ye, and Prof David J RichardsonTotal Funding: $390,000.00Project Summary: This project will deliver a technology and the underpinning science to deactivate and remove biofilms in wastewater systems using a renewable material that is produced from wastewater at a low cost. The technology has the potential to revolutionise the management of wastewater systems, bringing massive benefits to the water industry.

Prof Jurg Keller, Dr Yang Mu, and Dr Stefano FreguiaTotal Funding: $400,000.00Project Summary: Highly acidic waterways and mining wastewaters create major environmental challenges in inland Australia. This project will use novel, solar driven biological processes to remove the acid and metals from these streams and enable beneficial reuse of the water and other resources recovered in the process.